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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22884772">briensa free folk au</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherfuck/pseuds/slytherfuck'>slytherfuck</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Shae, F/F, Fluff, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Knight Brienne of Tarth, Lesbian Margaery Tyrell, Lesbian Sansa Stark, Minor Renly Baratheon/Loras Tyrell, Minor Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Minor Tyrion Lannister/Shae, Miscarriage, Queen Sansa Stark, R Plus L Equals J, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Running Away</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:29:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,072</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22884772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherfuck/pseuds/slytherfuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>this is game of thrones with a twist and where everything seems to be going like shit for sansa until it isn't. courtesy of brienne, shae, margaery and a bunch of other people who really care for her.</p><p> </p><p>i have changed a LOT of things and there's lots of angst. also, this is in headcanon form and it will probably always be bcs i'll never get to write this. the only reason i'm posting this is because this idea has been obsessive and i need to write it down somehow.</p><p> </p><p>basically, sansa is queen, married to joffrey, brienne is her knight, they fall in love and run away beyond the wall to be together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sansa Stark/Brienne of Tarth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw for rape , domestic abuse, blood and miscarriages (joffrey, basically)</p><p> </p><p>sansa won't suffer forever, i promise.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>a few things are different from the canon:</p><p>•robb stark doesn't exist</p><p>•sansa is the oldest stark</p><p>•bran died after jaime pushed him</p><p>•jon is known as the bastard of rhaegar and lyanna</p><p>•he goes to the wall earlier and he becomes a ranger</p><p>•he goes missing immediately</p><p>•catelyn and rickon are left alone at winterfell, and arya and sansa go with ned to king's landing</p><p>•sansa is promised to joffrey</p><p>•she starts her period earlier and is already married to joffrey by the time ned is executed</p><p>•arya is killed by the mountain at the order of joffrey</p><p>•catelyn and rickon are killed by an unknown assassin hired by the lannisters</p><p>•sansa is spared because she is pregnant with joffrey's child</p><p>•no one knows about cersei and jaime's incest<br/>
</p><p>•there is no war of the five kings</p><p>•also i guess dany and viserys died during robert's rebellion??</p><p>•the tyrells aren't noble, they are prostitutes working for littlefinger</p><p>•they're both gay but they work with both sexes because it pays better</p><p>•renly and sansa are friends</p><p>•through renly she meets loras and margaery</p><p>•margaery falls for sansa and manages to get her into bed once (it isn't hard, because from all the abuse she endures with joffrey, she longs for a tender touch, although she feels nothing for margaery.)</p><p>•sansa realises after that that she only likes women</p><p>•sansa's baby is a stillborn boy</p><p>•joffrey almost kills her</p><p>•two weeks later she is pregnant again</p><p>•around this time, brienne joins the kingsguard</p><p>•she was an old friend of renly's and he vouched for her to the lord commander</p><p>•renly has much more authority because no one knows he is gay (there is actually a rumour floating around that he and sansa are having an affair)</p><p>•also stannis doesn't exist</p><p>•jaime is just as terrible as cersei so him and brienne have no relationship of any kind</p><p>•shae and tyrion are actually in love and good for each other</p><p>•although tywin is still a bitch so they can't be public</p><p>•shae is still sansa's handmaiden</p><p>•brienne becomes her guard after a few months sansa is instantly in love and shoots her shot (with help from a heartbroken margaery)</p><p>•brienne is very flustered because no one has ever expressed any interest in her</p><p>•but who is she to say no to her queen?</p><p>•things are muddy for a while</p><p>•because neither of them can muster the courage to ask just what they are to each other</p><p>•sansa because life as queen has made her terrified of saying the wrong thing</p><p>•brienne because this is the queen! and she is pledged to serve and defend her honour. and her feelings for sansa definitely do not do good things for her honour!</p><p>•shae is sick of their dancing around each other</p><p>•so is renly</p><p>•and loras</p><p>•and margaery (still very heartbroken)</p><p>•so they plan and intervention</p><p>•which means that they gang up on brienne and bully her into talking to sansa one night when joffrey is gone on a hunt or some shit</p><p>•shae makes sure she locks the door as quietly as possible after she leaves brienne and sansa</p><p>•when she comes back in the morning, she finds them cuddling, still clothed.</p><p>•disappointing, but still a win</p><p>•brienne is hugging sansa so tenderly</p><p>•shae almost cries</p><p>•because she knows how much sansa needs to be protected and loved</p><p>•her heart almost breaks when she has to wake them up</p><p>•but joffrey has to show up soon</p><p>•when sansa wakes up, there's blood everywhere she can barely contain her scream, but shae shuts her up immediately </p><p>•brienne is confused and terrified, holding sansa who is wailing in her arms</p><p>•they manage to calm sansa after a while</p><p>•shae takes control of the situation and kicks brienne out, because no one has to know she was there</p><p>•and then she lets sansa scream</p><p>•when joffrey finds out about the miscarriage, he is shockingly calm</p><p>•but later that night he makes shae and brienne watch as he rapes sansa</p><p>•both of them are crying and brienne almost takes her sword out to stab joffrey in the back but the look sansa gives her stops her</p><p>•after he is done, he leaves</p><p>•brienne rushes to sansa while shae prepares a bath</p><p>•sansa isn't even crying. she didn't even make a noise. brienne realises a terrifying thing: she has gotten used to this</p><p>•after the bath is ready, shae kisses sansa on both cheeks and leaves, locking the door again</p><p>•to sansa, the kisses reminded her of her mother</p><p>•brienne helps her into the water and moves to sit down on the stool next to the tub</p><p>•but sansa stops her and asks her to join</p><p>•it's awkward and tight, but the fact that they are close and touching makes it worth it</p><p>•brienne thinks sansa's skin is too warm</p><p>•she asks her the lamest question ever</p><p>•"are you alright?"</p><p>•that's when sansa starts crying and tells her everything that has happened since her father died.</p><p>•both of them cry. so much. they cry until the water grows cold.</p><p>•sansa asks to sleep alone. brienne obeys her queen's command, but keeps guard in front of the room all night</p><p>•standing there, fighting sleep and aching from the posture, she vows to herself that she is going to get sansa out of king's landing before joffrey puts another baby in her</p><p>•she just doesn't know what to do</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also i'm on tumblr @madmoazela if you like utter garbage.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>things are starting to happen!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>•so far, there are only a handful of people who care for sansa:<br/>
•brienne, shae, renly, loras and magaery<br/>
•shae once lets slip something about sansa and brienne to tyrion<br/>
•but it's alright because he is sympathetic<br/>
•and he hates his siblings<br/>
•and he knows how hard it is to have a forbidden romance<br/>
•and, to be honest, he respects how smart sansa is to have survived so long in king's landing and being married to joffrey<br/>
•varys also knows, because he knows everything, and he secretly roots for them<br/>
•sansa hasn't shown signs of being pregnant yet<br/>
•but she fakes it around joffrey<br/>
•because carrying his child is much bettter than not<br/>
•it assures that he is not going to hurt her<br/>
•brienne is now always at sansa's side<br/>
•and glares down any one who tries to get too close to her<br/>
•she once almost broke littlefinger's fingers<br/>
•she wishes she could have<br/>
•it's already been a month since that night and sansa realises she can't keep pretending to be pregnant<br/>
•she shares her fears to shae<br/>
•btw, somehow, sansa has found out about her and tyrion<br/>
•and the three of them have started hanging out together<br/>
•drinking wine<br/>
•she still only drinks it when she has to<br/>
•which is every single night considering her life<br/>
•during those evenings, brienne stands guard outside the door<br/>
•they have devised a series of special knocks<br/>
•one knock means they should put the wine away and become presentable<br/>
•two knocks means shae and tyrion should go<br/>
•three knocks means joffrey or someone joffrey-adjacent is coming<br/>
•after shae and tyrion retire and the guards change, brienne manages to slip through the balcony, which is connected to her own quarters, and into sansa's room<br/>
•most of the time she is still in uniform, which sansa helps take off<br/>
•when they are both comfortably clothed, sansa brushes her hair while brienne tells her about her day and bits of gossip about her colleagues in the kingsguard (unwilligly, only at the request of her queen. she is a woman of honour, after all)<br/>
•that is how brienne comes to realise that, while incompetent and completely unreliable, these knights are really interesting characters<br/>
anyway, back to shae and sansa<br/>
•she tells shae about not being able to pretend she is pregnant anymore<br/>
•she doesn't really know how to help, but realises how terrified sansa is<br/>
•she decides (again) to take matters into her own hands<br/>
•and calls tyrion, brienne, loras, renly and margaery to discuss what they can do to help their queen<br/>
•it's loras who recalls one of his former clients<br/>
•a knight loved by many women whose passions unfortunately laid elsewhere<br/>
•during one of their many times together he would tell loras about how he couldn't keep up appearances anymore and would not continue to live a lie<br/>
•he spoke of a place to escape and begged loras to join<br/>
•but, when hearing it was in the deep north, loras refused<br/>
•(while he was telling them this, renly could barely keep the jealousy from showing on his face)<br/>
•when hearing of the deep north, margaery recalled a nasty rumour about jon snow, sansa's missing bastard cousin, who had been circulating around the capital for quite some time<br/>
•many people were saying that during jon's first mission beyond the wall he met a wildling who seduced him to join them<br/>
•some others said jon had been captured<br/>
•nevertheless, people seemed to agree jon was now a wildling<br/>
•no matter how much the lannisters would like to paint him as a weak deaf northern bastard<br/>
•renly was the one to propose it first<br/>
•it seemed that many people who wanted to escape their lives fled beyond the wall<br/>
•renly himself would have chosen to do so too, but he detested the cold<br/>
•so he proposed that the only sane course of action was that brienne takes sansa beyond the wall</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also i'm on tumblr @madmoazela if you like utter garbage.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a road trip through the woods of westeros is the most romantic thing ever apparently.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>•idk i really haven't thought much about their actual journey<br/>
•obviously they don't travel on king's road<br/>
•and it's starting to get cold<br/>
•which means that when they have to sleep in the woods<br/>
•they cuddle<br/>
•they already have very warm clothes<br/>
•and from her childhood in winterfell sansa has build up a resistance to the cold<br/>
•brienne is naturally very warm<br/>
•and much taller and muscular than her<br/>
•and sansa loves falling asleep in her arms<br/>
•it's like she is completely surrounded by brienne<br/>
•anyway there's lots of nights like these<br/>
•because they can't really go to any inns<br/>
•seeing as sansa is so easily recognisable<br/>
•and brienne draws a lot of attention too<br/>
•maybe they encounter a few people sent by the lannisters to find them<br/>
•and brienne has no choice but to kill them<br/>
•but mostly their friends back in king's landing try to take care of this problem as best they can<br/>
•and they miss the girls very much<br/>
•the girls miss them too<br/>
•but they know this is the only way<br/>
•sansa just hopes margaery finds a woman who can love her properly<br/>
•yes, sansa actually knew about margaery's feelings<br/>
•she is much more observant than people give her credit for<br/>
•in sansa's wildest dreams, she imagined taking all five of them with them<br/>
•but a lannister and a baratheon can't just disappear<br/>
•and shae would never leave without tyrion<br/>
•loras without renly or margeary<br/>
•all sansa can do is pray for them<br/>
•but she knows they can take care of themselves<br/>
•unlike her, king's landing is something they can manage<br/>
•brienne's feelings about this are a bit conflicting<br/>
•on one hand, she loves all the time she gets to spend with sansa<br/>
•just the two of them, so close<br/>
•(could she be falling in love??)<br/>
•but she tries to treat this as any other mission<br/>
•she is sansa's guard after all<br/>
•she has to keep her safe no matter what<br/>
•and she loves being her protector<br/>
•it feels like the only thing that matters in brienne's life is sansa<br/>
•she would gladly die for her<br/>
•but only if she knew that her death wouldn't leave her defenseless<br/>
•sansa finds this unwavering loyalty a bit scary<br/>
•but also very sweet<br/>
•it is exactly what she had dreamed as a kid<br/>
•a handsome knight sworn to protect her with his life<br/>
•except in this case the knight is a woman<br/>
•the woman she might be in love with<br/>
•it certainly feels like love when she feels brienne's strong hands around her as they lie on the ground<br/>
•or when they kiss and it's so chaste and sweet<br/>
•because this is the only thing she can take right now<br/>
•and brienne knows<br/>
•she loves to surprise brienne by initiating the kisses<br/>
•her little gasps are like music to her ears<br/>
•sansa had never expected to be the one doing the kissing<br/>
•but being with a woman has shown her that love isn't just something that is being given or done to you<br/>
•it's mutual<br/>
•and it's so good.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also i'm on tumblr @madmoazela if you like utter garbage.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. part 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>lots of snow, lots of kisses</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>•when they have safely crossed beyond the wall, brienne finally relaxes<br/>
•and she feels free like she's never felt before<br/>
•sansa does too, but she also feels at home<br/>
•part of her still remembers winterfell with an ache<br/>
•alas, there is nothing left there for her<br/>
•just a cold castle and memories of dead family<br/>
•a family which she has mourned only in silence, and not properly<br/>
•she longs to find a weirwood tree to pray for her parents, her siblings and her cousin<br/>
•out of all of them, she realises with a jolt, only jon is alive<br/>
•and even this she is not sure of, for if he died, would anyone have bothered to tell her?<br/>
•they're making their way through the woods when brienne stops<br/>
•sansa's skin immediately starts to tingle, anticipating danger<br/>
•but brienne merely turns around, a broad grin on her face which makes sansa's heart flutter<br/>
•she looks handsome and beautiful at the same time<br/>
•"it is all so enchanting, my lady" brienne says<br/>
•"just like you" sansa replies<br/>
•brienne turns bright red like sansa's hair and she can't help but laugh, happier than she's been in a very long time<br/>
•and she approaches brienne, stands on her tiptoes, throws her arms around her neck, brings her down and kisses a bruising kiss on her lips<br/>
•a kiss which brienne reciprocates just as fervently, dropping her satchel to circle her waist tightly<br/>
•they pour all the emotions they haven't been able to express before in this kiss, their first one as free women<br/>
•when they break apart for air, sansa feels dizzy and brienne feels drunk<br/>
•they say nothing, their smiles being enough<br/>
•and they remain like that for a while, arms around each other, breathing the same air and only seeing each other's eyes<br/>
•they resume walking eventually<br/>
•but not before eating and a snow fight<br/>
•for this is the first time brienne has seen snow<br/>
•and the first time she gets to indulge in this childish fancy<br/>
•she wins, but only because sansa let her<br/>
•and because she looked too good to be true, flushed, gleeful and laughing<br/>
•which made sansa stop in her tracks, completely in love<br/>
•and get a faceful of snow<br/>
•as her prize, brienne got another kiss<br/>
•and another, and another, and another<br/>
•until they end up on the ground, sansa above her<br/>
•brienne thinks this is how she wants it to be forever<br/>
•but they have to get up and find some shelter before the darkness falls completely<br/>
•it doesn't take long until a wildling finds them and immediately tries to attack, believing brienne to be a crow<br/>
•but he stops when he sees sansa<br/>
•"since when do they let women be crows?"<br/>
•"we're not from the wall."<br/>
•"then how in the world did you end up out here?"<br/>
•she tells him everything, since leaving winterfell with her father<br/>
•she doesn't hold back because she knows they hate the south just as much as she does<br/>
•brienne notices immediately how his eyes widen when sansa mentions jon<br/>
•but he says nothing and neither does she<br/>
•when sansa finishes, there's an odd look in this man's eyes and it makes brienne tense again, hand itching to wrap around the hilt of her sword<br/>
•then, he motions them to follow him, without a word and with a strange smile on his bearded face<br/>
•sansa looks over at brienne for a moment, confused<br/>
•but then she smiles as well, a true smile that makes brienne warm all over despite the brutal cold of the deep north, and winks at her, taking off after the wildling<br/>
•and brienne follows</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also i'm on tumblr @madmoazela if you like utter garbage.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. part 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>family?!?!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>•after hours of trudging in the snow, they reach a…<br/>
•settlement? a camp? sansa doesn't really know what to call it<br/>
•she can see several large tents, kids running around, playing  and people cooking, making weapons, clothes and even an old man making dolls out of sticks for the three little girls gathered around him<br/>
•all of those people stop what they are doing when they arrive<br/>
•the man, who still hasn't revealed his name, told them to wait and went into the biggest tent<br/>
•brienne can feel their stares on her skin, and all her instincts scream to shield sansa<br/>
•they both realise how it must look to those people to have outsiders<br/>
•but the wait isn't long, and the man comes out again<br/>
•this time followed by another, almost as tall as brienne and as fire-haired as sansa<br/>
•brienne sees how his eyes widen when he looks at her lady, and it leaves a sour taste in her mouth<br/>
•she never trusts a man's intentions<br/>
•as he makes his way over to them, sansa notices how the villagers look at him with respect and reverence<br/>
•this is their leader<br/>
•and he looks like one too<br/>
•unlike joffrey<br/>
•(she still goes cold all over at the thought of him, but it is barely noticeable against the already present frost)<br/>
•"sansa stark?" is the first thing that he says to them, practically bellows<br/>
•immediately, brienne steps in front of her, hand going to her sword<br/>
•but, as he sees her movement, his eyes widen and he shakes his head<br/>
•"i will not hurt you, ladies" (not a lady, brienne wants to say, but bites it back) "i only ask because, if you truly are sansa stark, it will be my husband's greatest joy."<br/>
•brienne's response is quick to come, unaware that her lady also meant to speak<br/>
•"who is he to lady stark?"<br/>
•she feels sansa bristle a bit behind her, but when she shoots a quick look back at her, she finds her staring at the man, as cautious as brienne herself feels<br/>
•but she also seems happy<br/>
•at least, happier than she's been in a long time<br/>
•the chief's eyes sparkle and brienne can see a faint smirk on his large beard<br/>
•it looks like genuine joy to her, so she lowers her sword<br/>
•just a little<br/>
•"family!" he says</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also i'm on tumblr @madmoazela if you like utter garbage.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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